Nordic Algae Network

Published 16/01/2015

Last updated 20/11/2012

The project’s aim is to help the participants to a leading position in the field of utilizing algae for energy purposes and for commercial exploitation of high value compounds from algae. An additional aim is to increase the synergy and facilitating collaboration between the participants involved in the project and thereby increase their ability to compete in this new field.

The project aim is to help the participants to a leading position in the field of utilizing algae for energy purposes and for commercial exploitation of high value compounds from algae. An additional aim is to increase the synergy and facilitating collaboration between the participants involved in the project and thereby increase their ability to compete in this new field.

The workshops have been a good tool to open discussions between industrial partners and academia, and the industrial partners have been quite open although there were competitors among in the workshops. Furthermore, the algae conference in Denmark, which was held in cooperation with Nordic Algae Network in 2012 and 2013, is now an internationally established event in the algae community and is held for the fourth time in October 2014. Project partners from Nordic Algae Network has participated and presented results at the last two conferences.

Method/implementation:

The methods used in the project are:

Workshops with short presentations, group discussions and plenum discussion

It has been very important that this project was an inter-Nordic project, because the partners had only little knowledge about what happened in the other Nordic countries in the algae field and this project was a bridge between stakeholders. Several new activities derived from the project. This includes Horizon 2020 applications, the MacroBiotech project funded by NORA in Torshavn and Nordic cooperation with industries in Faroe Islands has started because of the project:

DUE Miljø, Norway met 2 new partners and has 1 new project as a result of Nordic Algae Network

Norges Vel met 5-10 new partners and has 1 new project as a result of Nordic Algae Network

Havets Hus, Denmark made 10 new contacts for use in upcoming projects.

The Swedish SeaFarm project has invited Danish Technological Institute in the Advisory Board of the project.

Danish SME’s have been more active involved in R&D algae applications.

The overall conclusion of the project is that the focus on industrial involvement has been a successful approach, because many companies are new in the algae field and many are SME’s with limited capacity to look for other industrial partners and to look for support from the academia in their R&D efforts.

Recommendations:

There is an entrepreneurship and innovative spirit among industries and academia in the countries, which is a very important tool for development of this new area.

The technology for large-scale production of algae is not developed yet. There are large industrial companies in the food and feed processing sector, which are ready to use algae as raw material if a large and stable supply is possible.

The consumers market both in the Nordic countries and Europe are immature and not ready to use algae in the daily food. The organic food trend and the Nordic Brand can maybe help the algae products to a faster acceptance from the consumer’s side. Among the industries, producing algae products there are only limited market knowledge.

No clear laws and regulations for production of algae offshore exists. There is a need for both spatial and environmental regulations in order to cope with problems from fishery, maritime traffic, tourists, aquaculture, windmills, wild life protecting areas and environmental impacts.